Here’s Why You Should Consider Using Flat Washers

Look around today and you are bound to see more than a few items held together by fasteners. The reason for that is many manufacturers use fasteners, especially nuts and bolts, to join and secure products in iron construction, wooden structures, and many other applications. Now, suppose you examine the bolts and nuts joining together parts of any item within your vicinity. In that case, you will notice circular, flat pieces of metals positioned in the fastened joint, otherwise known as flat washers. This piece introduces you to flat washers and lists a few reasons to use them.

What are Flat Washers?

Flat washers are flat, disc-shaped metal pieces that typically have holes in the middle. Manufacturers typically position these washers under the bolt or nut's head. That means joining parts and components with threaded fasteners goes hand in hand with using flat washers. For instance, before driving a screw into a given surface, you must insert a flat washer through one end, then use the screw.

Why are Flat Washers Essential?

There are many reasons to use flat washers, including:

1. Spacing

Most manufacturers prefer using industrial washers as spacers, especially when they can't effectively secure a joint using a threaded fastener. That often happens when a particular fastener, such as a screw, happens to be longer than the object's depth. If that is the case, you won't be able to force the entire screw into the joint. Therefore, a part of it will be left sticking out, which is dangerous and inconvenient to end-users of your products. But you can prevent that by placing washers through fasteners before using them to cover for the length of the protruding screw.

2. Load distribution

Industrial washers are primarily designed for the even distribution of a particular threaded fastener's load. That is a vital task since most threaded fasteners inflict significant amounts of stress on the materials used on different surfaces. For instance, sometimes, surface stress leads to cracks when you drive a screw into a wooden object. But when you use flat washers, such issues are usually eliminated since there's an even load distribution.

3. Enhanced tightening

Suppose you need to secure components in a situation where the contact area between the object's surface and the threaded fastener's bearing surface is either made of a soft material like resin or extremely small. In that case, pressure may force the bearing surface to sink into the object, leading to looseness. Fortunately, you can use flat washers to prevent this problem and make your products more stable.

4. Machine reliability

One of the determiners of machine reliability is the bolting condition. If a machine's components aren't correctly bolted, it's more likely to function erratically and break down altogether in extreme cases. Most professionals advise you to use flat washers to secure joints, avoid malfunctions, and enjoy using your machines longer.

Keep these tips in mind when looking for industrial washers near you.


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